He Shouldn't Have Interfered
by Worlds Unreal
Summary: How Clark found out about Bruce and Dick. Or rather, how Clark mistook their completely appropriate feelings for something else and then it turns out he had been right all along. SLASH Bruce/Dick
1. Clark the Journalist

**Note:** Before you start reading, it might be helpful to know that Clark does not know Bruce Wayne is Batman. :)

* * *

**Clark the Journalist**

Clark was a simple man. He was raised as a farm boy and never wanted anything more than a secure, happy life. But Clark's biology was anything but simple, and it inevitably pulled him into a very extraordinary lifestyle. He moved to the big city and made some very… unusual acquaintances. But even then, Clark was a simple farm boy and he wanted nothing more than the safety of the people he protected.

In the beginning, city life was strange to him and city folk even more so. But among all the cities in the world, Gotham was the loudest, brightest and most bewildering city he's ever known. So it was no surprise that Gotham's richest citizen was just as disconcerting.

Bruce Wayne was not a simple man, and Clark did not like the perverted smiles he flashed to no less than _all _the women he met. Even Lois.

His job as a journalist at the Daily Planet wasn't always a walk in the park, but despite all the ridiculous things Perry White asks him to do, visiting Gotham was the worst of them. He had it up till here with Bruce Wayne's newest girlfriends or newest cars or newest scandal. Just how many reports could a man write about Bruce Wayne in a single lifetime? So when Mr. White called Clark to his office and told him to go to Gotham _again_, Clark sighed.

"Don't give me that look, Clark. 'Tis the biggest news of the month. Hell, probably the year even. We haven't got anything on Supes for two months, so this is all we got for now."

"What exactly is it, Mr. White?"

"Well, apparently, pretty-boy Wayne decided he wanted a kid out of the blue."

"Ex- _excuse_ me?"

"He just announced that he took in a ten-year-old orphan boy. I'm vague on the details, but that's _your_ job. So take Jimmy with you and get out there."

And now Jimmy and him were face to face with the most eligible bachelor (who was, if Clark was being completely honest, indeed very handsome), and a small wide-eyed boy that hid behind the billionaire's legs.

"Uhm. First of all, thank you for agreeing to this interview. The Planet appreciates it."

"You're welcome," The billionaire glanced at the name Clark had scribbled on his notepad, "Clark."

"So, Mr. Wayne," Clark cleared his throat, "could you recount the events that lead to your new guardianship."

"Hmm. I believe you already know the first part from the reports, Clark." Bruce paused to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. It was almost… protective. "Dick deserved to have a new home, and I had one."

"So you took him in?"

"Yes." Bruce's smile was charming, every bit the playboy that he was. And suddenly, the hand Wayne still had on the boy's shoulder quickly became very… inappropriate. Clark swallowed.

"Could you tell us a little bit about Richard's-"

"Dick." A small voice piped up. Dick was peering up at Clark with the brightest eyes he had ever seen. "Call me Dick, Mr. Clark." Then the boy smiled. And it was so earnest and so sweet Clark forgot they were in Gotham of all cities. The smiles in Gotham were not supposed to be like that.

"Oh, okay. Hello Dick."

Jimmy fired up his camera and snapped a couple of shots at Dick's face. The boy gasped and moved closer to Bruce, startled by the sudden flashes.

"If you would be so kind, Mr. Olsen," Wayne's voice was suddenly much deeper than it was before and there was a… look, in his eyes that sent shivers even down Clark's spine, "to refrain from doing that."

"Oh- er… Sorry."

"Anyway, Mr. Wayne, could you tell us something about Dick?"

"What do you want to know?"

"For starters, what is his full name?"

"Richard John Grayson."

"And, uh, how old is he exactly?"

"Ten."

Clark wrote it down in his pad, because despite the reports and all the accounts, the boy barely even looked eight. Or maybe that was just because he was standing right next to Bruce Wayne.

"Before Dick moved to Gotham, where did he reside?"

"He lived with an international travelling circus. They moved from country to country every month or so. The last country they went to was Bruges."

Clark didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help overhear the way Dick's heartbeat sped up. He guessed that everything must be very difficult for the boy. He had just lost his parents and was forced to leave behind the only life he ever knew. He was scared and vulnerable. And hard as it may be to believe, Bruce Wayne was the only one he had at the moment.

Then Clark noticed how Wayne's fingers moved to stroke the boy's neck.

Maybe Clark should … investigate.

* * *

"Geez, Clark, that guy seriously gives me the creeps."

"Bruce Wayne? What about him?"

Clark and Jimmy were in a hotel now. First thing the next day, they would leave this god-forsaken city and return to Metropolis, but for the moment they were still stuck in Gotham. Worst part was, they were stuck in a hotel owned by Wayne Enterprises. Bruce Wayne had been 'kind' enough to offer them a free-of-charge stay in a five star hotel. Mr. White wasn't one to refuse.

"I don't know. There's just something about his- the look in his eyes. It just chills me. And the _kid_, Clark. He's _so_ tiny!"

"I guess it's just a Gotham thing."

"Guess so." Jimmy scratched the back of his neck idly.

"I'm going to bed, wouldn't want to oversleep tomorrow, our flight is at seven."

"Right. See you tomorrow, then."

"Good night."

Jimmy made to leave, but then changed his mind and turned back around.

"Wait, Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"How did he know my name?"

Clark shrugged and walked off to his room, leaving Jimmy alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Wayne lived in a mansion. A huge, freaking mansion. It was quiet, even with his superhearing. All he could hear was the wind in the trees and the screeching of a hundred bats. Superman strained to hear the beating of hearts.

He heard a single heart thumping slowly from one wing of the Manor. Male, Clark guessed, and elderly. Not Bruce then, or the boy. Clark focused on the other side of the building, and heard the rhythmic beating of two more hearts. One was obviously much smaller and its beats came quicker, the other's beats were deep and controlled. Clark didn't know Bruce Wayne was such an athlete.

Clark moved closer, and it occurred to him that there wasn't very much distance between the two beating hearts. Actually, they were practically side by side. Huh?

He flew over to the room where Bruce Wayne and the boy should be.

Spying was something Clark avoided. He would never usually abuse his powers to violate people's privacy, but this was different. Supervision would easily do the trick.

But what he saw almost made him gasp out loud. Wayne and ten-year-old Dick were in a bed. Together. _Oh lord._ Wayne had- he had his arms wrapped around the boy. Around his narrow shoulders and his small waist. They were _so close_ to each other.

And- and was that sobs he heard? Was little Dick crying?

Clark had to do something. He had to do something _this second_. He was Superman, he had to safe the boy. He had to-

Then he heard somebody speaking.

"Bruce-" It was Dick.

"Bruce, I'm sorry." He said between sobs, "I just- I just _miss _them."

Clark stared in horrified shock.

"I know, Dick. I know." And Bruce's voice was… _different. _He had never heard such softness and kindness in Bruce Wayne's voice.

"Does it ever stop hurting, Bruce?" Dick whispered, so softly Clark almost doubted Bruce heard.

"Oh Dick, I wish I could say yes. But I promise that I'll be here when you need me." Wayne moved his hand and carefully (so, so carefully) wiped the tears from Dick's face. "I'll always be here."

And _wow. That_ wasn't Bruce Wayne, except that it was.

Clark left. Confused and more than a little guilty. It appeared that he had judged too quickly. Maybe Bruce Wayne wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Weird. Something nagged at the back of his mind, something odd, but at the moment he felt guilty enough that he quickly forgot about it.

He made his way back to the hotel room that Bruce Wayne had paid for.

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**Note:** So, what did you think? Reviews would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Clark and the Flying Robin

**Notes: **Thank you to those who have favorited or reviewed this story! I greatly appreciate any kind of feedback. Enjoy the chapter :)

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**Clark and the Flying Robin**

The Justice League had just returned to the Watchtower. Mere moments ago, they were in Gotham to stop a sabotaged nuclear plant from melting down. It was right in the centre of the city (although why anyone would ever build a nuclear plant in the middle of a city was beyond him) and much to the team's dismay, a _crowd _had formed to watch them. If anything went wrong, those people would have _fried_ instantly. The G.C.P.D was as useful as a sack of potatoes and the leaguers didn't have the time to evacuate anyone.

But despite that, they managed to handle it without a single person getting hurt. Clark had considered it a job well done. But, of course, Batman begged to differ. Correction. Batman _never_ begged. He just… differed.

"Team meeting, now."

"What is it, Batman?" Diana wasn't one to be kept in the dark.

"You'll see." And the Bat was gone with a swirl of his black cape.

"Superman," The team was gathered in the conference hall. Clark looked up at the mention of his name- or moniker, whatever- it was hard to think about anything when Batman was looking straight at him with those blank lenses of his, "when you contained the meltdown in Gotham, there were a lot of bystanders. You were successful and there was no stray radiation or shrapnel, but your efforts still managed to raise panic."

Batman paused to eye Clark.

"The hysteria quickly spread while the team was too occupied to control the rioting crowd."

Batman pressed a button and a projection popped up, "Due to the chaos, at least ten civilians have been hospitalized and there have been reports of robberies and multiple fires across the city."

John quickly stood up, "Then why are we sitting here talking about it? We must do something."

"Sit down." John stared at Batman in disbelief, but obeyed. "It's been taken care of. The last fires have just been put out and the panic has been subdued."

"But how?" It was the Flash, "It's only been about twenty minutes since Supes cooled down the plant, and I know I'm fast but even I'm not _that _fast."

Batman ignored him, "My point being, our current approach is-"

The Flash had a point. There had barely been any time to react. Clark knew Batman was… well, the _Batman_, but still. Batman had been with the League the entire time and they had returned to the Watchtower as soon as they secured the meltdown. Clark seriously doubted the police or fire department could have reacted that quickly. It was… impressive, for lack of a better word.

Even for Batman.

* * *

Despite his distaste for the city, Clark found himself in Gotham again. He thought it wasn't a bad idea to check if everything was alright.

Only that there _wasn't _anything 'not alright' left.

Batman really meant it when he said that it's been taken care of.

Even with superhearing, the city was as quiet as Gotham could possibly be. Sirens in the distance, but that was no concern, wind, police intercom, club music and-

"Wow! Are you really Superman?"

"Huh?" Clark spun around, "What?" But there was nobody there. With a jolt, he realized he was hovering at least ten stories above the ground.

"Who said that?" And how didn't he pick anything up with his superhearing?

"Me!" And a smiling face popped in front of him.

"Gah!"

"Oh, sorry. Did I scare you?"

Clark backed up and for the first time saw that it was, in fact, a boy hanging upside down from some sort of chord. And he was wearing… whatever _that_ was. Wait. A _boy_ was _hanging_ from a chord _ten stories _above the ground?!

"What do you think you're doing?" Clark quickly moved to get a hold on the child before he started plummeting towards his doom. Then the boy, he- _flew _out of Clark's reach and landed on a roof.

"You can fly?"

The boy started laughing.

"No, silly." And he smiled at Clark, "But I can do all sorts of other cool stuff! Would you like to-"

"Please don't." He held out his hands to stop him from jumping off the edge. To his eternal relief, the boy stilled and crouched.

"It really _is_ you, isn't it? Superman!"

Clark cleared his throat, because what _in the world_ was this kid thinking? Where were his parents?

"_What_ are you doing?"

"Hmm? Oh, I just put out the fires." The boy beamed at him. "Did a pretty good job, don't you think?"

"_You_ put out the fires? Who-" He was wearing some kind of mask to cover his eyes, and Clark was about to peek through them when the boy suddenly jumped up.

"I just remembered that you have that X-ray vision thing! Please don't peek! B- Uh… Just don't."

"Alright, but you better tell me what's going on here."

"Oh right, sorry." The boy crouched down again and Clark hovered over to the small figure in the ridiculously colored outfit. "I'm Robin. Nice to meet you."

"So, Robin. Mind telling me what you are doing ten stories above the ground?"

"I was going to meet Batman." Robin said so matter-of-factly and with such nonchalance, Clark thought he must have heard wrong. But he had superhearing, he _never_ heard wrong.

"Meet Batman? _The_ Batman? _Where_?"

"Right over…."

"Here." And _that_ was undoubtedly _the_ Batman's voice.

"Batman! What- Who-"

"I told you, I'm Robin." The boy flew- no- he _jumped _to Batman's side.

"Why are you in Gotham again?"

"I was checking up if everything was alright, then I suddenly saw- uh.. Robin hanging at least a hundred feet above the ground."

Batman was glaring at him with those ghastly white eyes, and despite his super strength and his super everything, he felt his nerves jitter.

"Don't you have your own city to worry about?"

"Yes, but- but- _Robin_? I mean, is he alright?"

"Robin is with me. He's fine."

"_With_ you?"

"Yep!" Robin grinned at Clark then at Batman, who completely ignored him, then back at Clark.

"Oh- Uhm. Okay then, I… guess I'll be going. Nice meeting you. Robin."

"See you around-" Robin flashed him a cheeky smile but Clark was already flying back to Metropolis faster than the speed of sound. He would be home in less than a minute. His safe, normal home in Metropolis without children somersaulting from rooftop to rooftop. But then he heard the end of Robin's sentence.

"-Clark."

He halted. So abruptly he nearly went spinning out of control with the momentum. The next thing he heard was a fit of giggles, quickly followed by a growl that sounded suspiciously like 'let's go home'.

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**Notes: **Please tell me what you think about it! What did you think of the Justice League? And of Batman? And Robin?


	3. Clark in Doubt

**Clark in Doubt**

"Say, Lois,"

"What's up, Smallville?"

"Would it be weird if, you know, I… decided to teach a kid to fight crime?"

Lois blinked at him a couple of times, then burst into laughter.

"_You_? Fight crime? That wouldn't only be weird, but it will also be the craziest thing I would ever see in my life. And we both know we've seen some _crazy_ things out there." Lois patted his shoulder, Clark cleared his throat to disguise the slight blush that threatened to creep up his cheeks.

"That's not really what I meant, Lois. I mean- uh- would it be… correct?" Lois frowned at him, "Would it be… _morally_ correct?"

"Clark, what has gotten into you?"

"I was just thinking about a… movie. Yes, a movie I saw." He adjusted his glasses.

"Well, a _kid_ fighting crime,huh?" Lois cocked her hip to one side, "Can't say it's the most conventional thing to do. The guy must be pretty batty to even think about it."

"Batty." Clark adjusted his glasses again, "Hmm. Okay."

"I guess it wouldn't exactly be the _best _thing to do. It's a _kid_ and crime fighting can get nasty, remember?"

"Yes. Yes it can."

"It probably comes down to traumatizing the child, more than just getting him hurt or killed or anything like that."

"How so?"

Lois looked at him curiously, "Well, just think about the kind of people this kid will deal with. Rapists, murderers, psychopaths, _pedophiles_? How would a child react to _that_?"

"I suppose you're right."

"Really." Lois raised a sleek eyebrow, "_What_ movie was that?"

"Oh. It's nothing. A really old one I found in the attic of my house." Lois eyed him some more, "In Kansas." He added quickly.

Lois laughed again, "That figures. Gotta run, Smallville, I have some papers to turn in."

"Alright, Lois. Good luck."

Lois left, and Clark went back to the article he was working on.

Mr. White had asked him to cover the Gotham power plant incident from the previous night. It's almost horrifying, really. It's as if Mr. White _knew. _Clark almost always had to cover news that had Superman in it. Or maybe it's just because Clark somehow always managed to have the best info about anything Superman-related.

Huh.

'LAST NIGHT, THE POLICE FORCE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE QUICK TO ACT AGAINST THE RISING HYSTERIA IN THE CITY. ACCORDING TO G.C.P.D. COMMISIONER JIM GORDON, IT COULD NOT HAVE TAKEN AUTHORITIES MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR TO CONTROL THE SITUATION. COMMENTARY AND RUMORS ABOUT ASSISTANCE FROM _THE BATMAN_ HAVE BEEN DISPUTED BY MAYOR HILL.'

Clark sighed.

_Robin is with me._

How old _was_ Robin even?

Sure, he trusted Batman, but Robin barely even looked eight. Or maybe that was just because he was standing right next to Batman.

Wait. What?

Clark thought he just had the weirdest déjà vu ever.

* * *

"Team, I have an announcement to make." Once again they were gathered in the conference hall, "So please be seated."

Clark sat down and watched the other leaguers take their seats, warily looking at Batman who stood as a black shadow in the centre. It was little over a week after he had met Robin bouncing around on Gotham's rooftops.

"As some of you may already be aware," Batman started, "I have decided to take on a protégé."

There was a collective ripple of confusion.

"He goes by the name of Robin, and he will mainly operate in Gotham." Batman pressed a button and an image of Robin was displayed before the team. He was in costume and masked, standing about four feet four above the ground and almost sinfully delicate.

"A protégé?" It was the Flash, "You mean like me and Kid Flash?"

"Yes. He will be my responsibility and I will see to his training."

"But Kid Flash is blessed with the gift of speed and endurance," Diana spoke up, "and he does not partake in any form of vigilantism."

"What's your point?"

"I am trying to say what you are doing could potentially bring harm to the child. Not only physically."

"I said that he is my responsibility, do you doubt my word, Diana?"

There was silence for a heartbeat, tense and loaded, "No."

"Then that is settled."

But Clark still wanted to know so much more about this sprightly, multi-colored young boy (and whatever sort of sorcery had gotten into Batman to take him as a protégé). But wait, hadn't there just been a Blackgate prison breakout? Superman should definitely come and visit Gotham to lend a helpful hand.

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**Notes: **A short chapter. :) I'll upload the next chapter really soon, probably by the end of next week. In the meantime, enjoy the story and tell me what you think of it so far! :D  
P.s. Thanks for all the reviews!


	4. Clark Isn't Spying

**Clark Isn't Spying**

When Clark saw Robin again, it was like the first time ma and pa took him into the city to watch the circus. All the colors and the lights and _magic_. He was starstruck and slack-jawed.

Robin was amazing.

A slight swivel of his hips and some inexplicable trick with his leg, and a thug's shotgun went flying through the air. And before Clark even fully processed that there was a giant of a man with a mean-looking stick rampaging toward the boy, Robin was suddenly already above him, with his delicate, little, green-gloved hands on his massive shoulders and his pixie-booted feet in the air. Then Robin defied all the physics behind the conservation of momentum (or at least, what little Clark remembered from his years in school) by flipping his legs backwards and causing the 200 pound man to lose his balance and slam head-first into the gravel underneath.

Robin landed on his feet so lightly it was hard to believe he really couldn't fly. And it was even harder to believe he didn't have super-speed or the magical ability to allow bullets to pass through his body without causing him any harm. Three times Clark could have sworn a bullet's trajectory would pierce straight through his skull. But it didn't. Of course it didn't.

Apparently, Superman's help had never been needed here. His idea of an excuse to check on them was quickly becoming more and more silly. What was he thinking? He never came to Gotham to help Batman out before. Maybe except that one time, in the very beginning when he first heard about the black-clad vigilante, which also became the last when it became quite clear to his younger, more naïve self that he wasn't quite as welcome in Gotham. Then what was he expecting this time? Although Robin seemed quite nice and-

"So, that was the last of them." Robin was suddenly beside him. Really. He was _suddenly_ beside Clark.

"Yes it was." And suddenly Batman was beside him too. In fact, he was suddenly _right_ beside him. This was not his night.

"What brought you to Gotham, Superman?" Robin grinned at him.

"Oh, I…" He cleared his throat, "just decided to drop by."

Robin seemed curious and opened his mouth to say something, but he glanced at Batman and thought better of it. Instead, he reached out and touched Clark's red, billowing cape.

"What's it feel like to fly? Were you always able to?"

"No, when I was younger I couldn't fly. It only came to me when I was about eighteen."

"How was it like? For the first time?"

"Confusing and… not very pleasant, actually."

"What? Really? Why not?"

"He used to be afraid of heights." Batman answered, "The only reason why he ever did attempt to fly was by pure accident when he fell from the top of his barn."

It was true. It was not a secret, but he could not recall ever telling Batman or any of the leaguers about this.

"How do you-"

"Really?" Robin smiled, easy and happy and not at all unkind. "I always wanted to fly," He said to Batman.

"Yes I know."

"Can I fly the batwing today? I remember everything you told me."

"I know you do, but not today. It's getting late."

Robin looked mildly disappointed, "Can we fly it tomorrow then? For practice?"

"We'll see."

The little smile on Dick's lips spoke of some delight beyond of just getting what he wanted. Clark didn't understand it, but apparently Batman did.

"Come."

"Okay. Bye Superman, see ya' around."

And Clark watched them disappear into the shadows.

A couple of days later, Clark was passing through Gotham. It was the shortest way there was. Really. He didn't come to spy on Batman or Robin or anything. Really, he didn't. He would never overstay his welcome in Batman's city. And he certainly wasn't flying slower than usual because he was _listening. _No, that would be absurd.

Besides, it was quiet tonight. He couldn't find Batman and Robin even if he tried (which he wasn't doing). So when he heard a familiar voice that he heard often enough on T.V., radio, interviews and basically everything that could be called 'publicity', Clark couldn't say he was disappointed.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Dick."

"I can help, Bruce."

"No. You're staying here."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

And for a second, Clark thought Bruce Wayne sounded awfully like somebody else.

"Bruce, don't leave!"

Clark heard the sound of footsteps on rock that echoed from all directions, as if somebody was running through a tunnel. Then there was an array of very confusing noises, followed by a heavy thud.

"Ow." It was the boy. He had been hurt. And when Clark strained, he could hear the sickening sound of blood oozing out of tender tissue.

Did Wayne _hit _the boy? Did he hurt him? Clark quickly felt dread rise in him again. He was about to do something. He didn't exactly have a plan, but he had to-

"Dick," And Clark never quite heard such raw emotions in a single syllable.

A small groan, "It's a cut from… you know. It's nothing. It's just a healing scar."

Wait, what? Scars? Cuts?

"Strip."

Clark focused and heard the sound of fabric sliding _off _skin, quickly followed by the whisper of skin against skin. Then a _slick, _wet sound.

He heard Dick whimper slightly. More slickness.

"Don't do that again, Dick."

At this point, Clark's head was spinning with _what in the world was going on_? He no longer cared that he promised not to spy on Bruce Wayne again, this was just too weird.

He used his supervision to see past the Manor's walls and quickly found the place where the voices were coming from. They were in some sort of huge basement, and Bruce Wayne was-

_What the hell. _(He didn't care that ma would probably chastise him for cursing.)

Bruce Wayne was wearing Batman's suit, and Batman's gauntlets and Batman's car was inexplicably beside him. It was _clearly_ Bruce Wayne. He had his cowl pulled back, so Clark didn't even have to peek to see that it was _Bruce Wayne_.

"My suit is designed to electrocute any unwanted advances, Dick." Wayne-in-a-Batman-costume drenched a cotton ball in a liquid that appeared to be alcohol. "So _don't_ try jumping on my back again."

"But as Robin?"

"The Robin costume has an infused chip that my suit recognizes. It won't happen when you're wearing it, but that doesn't mean you should be trying to do it again."

"Oh."

_What_? Robin costume? Electrocution?

Wayne pressed the cotton ball into the bloody stitches. The boy winced and Wayne's whole body seemed to tense for a split second.

"I'm okay, Bruce. Really."

"You're not. Your stitches were reopened when the jolt pushed you into the cave wall. The wound has to be closed again."

"M' Sorry, Bruce."

Then it hit Clark like a smack in the face. Stitches. Scars. Suits. Bruce Wayne was-

_Good lord in heaven almighty. _

And he might have just said that out loud. Really loudly. Because Bruce Wayne- no- _Batman_ (it really_ was_ him) turned around to look at something and stalked off. But Clark reassured himself that he couldn't possibly have heard him. Bruce Wayne- _Batman _didn't have superhearing and there was no way-

"What. Are. You. Doing?"

To his credit, Clark didn't scream like a little girl.

"Batman! I mean, Mr. Way- Uh! _Batman_," Clark swallowed once, then again, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy. I just thought I'd… heard something."

"What did you hear, _Clark Kent_?"

Clark felt pointedly horrified, "Y- you knew?"

Of course he did.

"I asked you a question."

"I heard somebody uh… fall down." That was a lie. They both knew it. "Really, Batman, I didn't mean to-"

"Quiet." And God, was he pissed, "What do you think you're doing in Gotham?"

"I was uh- passing through."

"Leave." Clark flinched. If he ever thought Batman's white lenses were terrifying, then he was dead wrong. The burning hostility in Bruce Wayne's icy blue eyes was so much worse.

"Alright, I'm going. I'm really sorr-"

"Just. Go."

Clark flew away as fast as he could. _That _was one thing he would never want to go through again. Ever.


	5. Clark's Normal Day

**Clark's Normal Day**

Clark was in Metropolis. Safe, comforting, _normal_, Metropolis. He was in his small, box-shaped office doing normal, tedious paperwork as a normal, everyday journalist. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Nothing at all.

"Hey Smallvile."

"Oh, hi Lois."

"Care to grab a bagel downstairs? You look like you can do with a break," Lois glanced at the piles of papers on his desk, "How long have you been stuck with those?"

"I've actually just started, but I can do with a break."

"Come on then, I'm just dying for some coffee and a good old cream-cheese bagel."

So now Clark was sitting in a normal, familiar cafeteria eating a normal, ordinary bagel while having a normal, pleasant conversation with Lois. Nothing about this was in any way Gotham-like. Gotham was _miles_ away and he was just mild-mannered Clark Kent, a journalist from the Daily Planet having a bagel with Lois Lane.

Everything was _normal_.

"So, Smallvile, anything going on?"

"Huh?"

"You know, a date maybe? Long-lost brother? Or maybe, Godzilla attacking Tokyo?"

"Um- No, I'm afraid nothing exciting has happened to me," He lied, rather tactlessly if her were to be honest with himself, "but I heard Jimmy almost got a clear shot at Superman last night, if that interests you."

Lois laughed, "That's Clark Kent for you, people. You can always rely on him for your daily dose of normal."

Clark would have laughed if he wasn't so busy trying not to choke on the irony.

"That reminds me," Lois poured a spectacular amount of sugar into her coffee, "can you _believe_ the Joker escaped from Arkham again? It's crazy. After the Blackgate breakout, you would think Gotham can _at least_ catch itself a _break_. It's not even been a day, and now this clown is terrorizing the city already."

"The Joker?" Clark frowned, that was odd, he was in Gotham last night, "That's- Well, that's terrible. When did this happen?"

"Middle of the night. The news got at least half of GCPD out of their beds."

Middle of the night!?

"Oh. I see."

It was very likely he was too… distracted to have noticed it.

"Is anyone from the planet covering this?"

"Mr. White had sent Cassandra to Gotham this morning. She should be there by now."

"Cassandra? But she's only joined the Planet for three months. Are you sure-"

"Nah, she's a fighter. She'll be fine. Besides, there's that _Batman _everyone's been talking about. I heard rumors that he's not entirely human. They say he might also have superhuman powers like _Superman_. At least, sort of."

"Well, I… don't think he's anything like Superman, Lois."

"Hmm," Lois drained the last bit of coffee in her cup, "I'm going to get some more coffee. Want anything?"

"Oh, no no. I'm fine. Thanks."

"Be back in a sec."

Clark listened to Lois' heels make their clickety-clack noises as she walked to the dispenser. Gotham. What a city. Why would anybody _ever _decide to live there? He's had enough of that place for ten years, even without madmen parading around the city planting bombs everywhere.

Bruce Wayne. Batman.

_Oh Lord_. That was one thing he_ really_ didn't need to know. He suddenly really, really missed his home in Smallvile. He was thinking about his ma and his dog back home when he heard a bewildered, punctuated: "You are!?" from somewhere in the distance.

It was Lois. Clark half-listened as Lois continued to talk excitedly to someone in the distance, he was still thinking about the Kansas skies and ma's apple pies.

"And he never told me! I will not let him get away that easily for not even _mentioning_ he has such an _adorable _nephew."

Clark's train of thought turned to idle wondering whether Bruce Wayne had any nephews. He probably didn't, it just didn't sit right with common sense. Batman even less, just the thought of him having any sort of life beyond the mask wa-

"Clark Kent!" Lois was standing beside him, her slender hands on her hips, "Why haven't you told me you have the cutest little nephew?"

"Wuh- What?"

"Really, Smallville, if I had a nephew as adorable as yours I would _never _shut up about him."

"Lois, I- I don't have-"

He was promptly cut off by a weight forcefully crashing into him. If Clark had been anyone else, he would have been flung over backward.

"Uncle Clark! I've missed you!" A tiny voice cried out with the purest Midwestern accent Clark had only ever heard at home, "So is this Ms. Lois you've always been talking about?"

"What? Oh. Y-yes, I suppose. But-"

Clark shut himself up when he realized that this boy- his 'nephew' was almost painfully familiar. Clark was certain he must have heard that voice _somewhere _very recently, although the accent just didn't _fit. _His _nephew_? Did he call home yesterday or any time this week? Some distant family reunion?

"He's an _absolute_ cutie, Clark," Lois said, smiling indulgently at the boy, "just look at those chubby little cheeks. You must spoil him rotten."

Clark just gaped at the boy, and the boy happily stared back. Such _blue _eyes. He's seen those eyes before. He _knew _this boy.

"Are you-"

"Hey," the boy whispered, although Clark did not think he saw his lips move. He was _sure _his lips didn't move, he was just mere inches away from his face, Clark should see these things, "it's _me_."

That whisper would have been much too soft for any regular person to hear, even if they were as close as Lois was. And did the boy just _lose_ his accent? "What-"

Oh.

_Oh._

_**Oh**_…..!

"Rob-!"

He was stopped by a sharp pinch to his arm. It didn't hurt him, but its intention was clear and Clark promptly shut his mouth.

"I've grown a bit, but you do remember, right? It's me, Johnny_._"

It was Robin. Dick Grayson. The orphan-boy Bruce Wayne took in.

The goddamn _Batman's _partner.

"O- of course! I remember you, J- Johnny" Clark couldn't quite help the stutter, "But- but what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you! It's been _ages _since you came home to Smallville. I thought we could go and look around Metropolis, I've never been to such a big city before."

"Aw," Lois chimed in, "you go and take him Clark, I'll take care of things here for you."

"But, Mr. White-"

"Don't worry, I'll make something up." She smiled at Dick again and ruffled his tousles, "Isn't that right, sweetie. You go have fun with your uncle Clark."

Dick smiled and squeezed Lois in a hug, mumbling, "Thank you, Ms. Lois," and not a moment afterward he was pulling Clark by his sleeve and out of the building.

"Then let's get going, Uncle Clark!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** To all those of you who have favorited or followed this story: thank you very very much! :)

I would love to hear any kind of comments or suggestions or even questions!


	6. Clark and Dick in Metropolis

**Clark and Dick in Metropolis**

"Rob-" Clark caught himself, " _Dick,_ what is it?"

"Nothing," Dick grinned at him, "I just wanted to get away from Alfred for a while."

Clark had a minute to excessively fret about who this Alfred person was before his conscience decided to remind him that _he_ was supposed to be the responsible adult here. Superman got his fair share of runaway children, and under normal circumstances he would promptly find their parents and return them.

But this was different. Should he notify Batman? He had the League commlink if he needed to. But was it really even possible for Batman to _lose _his Robin? Clark swallowed nervously. What if Batman had in fact _sent_ Robin to _silence_ Clark for what he had found out? Clark had to admit that it wasn't such a far-fetched suspicion, in fact, it was very likely.

Or, of course, Dick had _really _run away from home. But if that were true Clark could all too quickly be mistaken for _kidnapping_ Bruce Wayne's ward instead.

"Does your uh- Does Mr. Wayne know?"

"Bruce?" Dick looked at him with wide, happy eyes.

"Yes."

"Well, I didn't exactly tell Bruce…" Clark couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach, "but he probably won't mind." Dick smiled as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"A- are you sure this is a good idea?" Clark tried.

"Why shouldn't it be?" Dick asked, holding up one finger to his bottom lip and looking quite concerned. Dick then gasped slightly and pulled Clark down to whisper in his ear, "Do you have to be anywhere else? You know, as _Superman_?"

"No." Clark unconsciously adjusted his glasses to hide his face better, "Fortunately, I don't."

"Aw…" Dick pouted slightly, "So why wouldn't it be a good idea then?"

"You see Dick, I am an uh… an unrelated adult and officially I'm not even supposed to know you."

"But we met during that interview. You do remember, right?" Dick beamed at him, "I also read the article you wrote about us the next day, it was my favorite among all of the others!"

"You think so?" Clark asked, genuinely flattered. He'd put in a lot of effort to treat both Bruce Wayne and his new ward like actual human beings. (Mainly because he'd felt terrible enough for spying on them the previous night.)

"Yeah! I understood everything you wrote, the other articles had many confusing things in them that I don't understand." Dick frowned slightly.

"Oh? What did you not understand?" Clark offered helpfully, because it was in his nature to be helpful and he always did have a soft spot for children.

"You'll help me?" Dick bounced slightly, "Alfred wouldn't let me ask my teachers at school. And when I asked Bruce what they meant, he would get a… _strange_ look in his eyes and tell me to forget it."

Clark realized too late just what kind of articles Bruce Wayne was always in: very inappropriate ones.

"I will…" Clark swallowed the lump in his throat, "try."

"Okay. What does 'boytoy' mean? Lots of the papers called me a 'boytoy'."

"That's an uh- an umm-"

"And jailbait! What does that mean?"

"Ummm- That means. That- that means-"

"How about pedophile? They mentioned Bruce was one. Is that some kind of business title?"

"It- uh- uhhhhh."

"Oh yeah, and _cunt. _One of them said Bruce wanted my-"

"It means nothing!" Clark stopped him before it could get any worse, "They're just uh- ways to call-" Clark blushed furiously, "Just never repeat or even think about any of those words again."

"Why? Are they bad?"

"Yes. Very."

"Oh," Dick's eyes widened, "Now that you mention it, I think I heard some Blackgate prisoners call me those things."

"That is... very likely."

"But then, why would the newspapers call me them too?" Dick looked more curious than actually hurt, but Clark still felt exceedingly guilty. He was just ten, and so… _un-Gotham-like. _Clark made a mental note to check those papers out himself, the c-word may be going just a little too far.

"Anyway I thought you wanted to see the city?" Clark decided distraction was probably the best idea, "Is there any place in particular you wanted to see?"

"Mmhh-hmm!" Dick beamed, "Can I see your house?"

* * *

So at least Clark's paranoia for having an angry Batman on his heels was not true. As far as Clark could tell (and he could tell quite a lot), Bruce Wayne wasn't anywhere in the vicinity of Metropolis and Dick didn't have a communicator with him. In fact, Dick almost didn't have _anything_ with him. What little Clark did 'discover' in Dick's pockets was quite worrying. Dick only had with him a very expensive phone that rested on a bed of gummy worms, a V.I.P credit card (but no wallet), and a wilting clover leaf.

Actually, it was more than just worrying.

"Dick? How did you get here?"

Dick was looking around at his apartment in inexplicable wonder.

"What do you mean? You brought me here." Dick was poking at his brown couch curiously, "Do you sit here often?"

"Huh? Oh, I do. But how did you come to _Metropolis_?"

"Ooh, I took a plane." Dick was now examining his TV set.

"A _plane_? By yourself?"

"Mmhh-hmm." Dick was more interested in the buttons on Clark's DVD player, "Do you watch TV while sitting on that couch or while sitting at the table?"

"I- uh- I… sit on my couch. But Dick- how did you…"

He trailed off as Dick disappeared into his bedroom and went out of earshot.

Clark was becoming increasingly worried, not just because if something should happen to Dick Clark would be as good as dead, but because Clark was a simple man and things like this just naturally made him wary. When Clark was ten himself, his ma wouldn't even let him go to the nearest town to buy gumdrops. _'Sweetie, what if you'd get mugged? Or kidnapped? Or worse? Don't worry your ma so much, Clark. If you'll be a good boy, your pa'll take you downtown tomorrow'_

In retrospect, ma didn't have anything to worry about. Clark would sooner have accidentally broken every bone in his kidnapper's body than actually been kidnapped.

"Clark!" Dick called from inside the bedroom, "Clark! Clark! What's _that_?" Dick was pointing excitedly at the shard of kryptonite Clark had first used to find the Fortress of Solitude. It was sitting on his nightstand like a constant reminder that his childhood had more or less been a lie. He'd brought it with him to Metropolis just in case he needed it for… something.

"That's- uh. You can say it's the key to the-"

"Fortress of Solitude?" Dick finished, eyes widening in wonder.

"You know about the Fortress?"

"I do! What's it like?"

"It's… quite unnerving, actually." Clark sat down on the edge of his bed, and to his surprise Dick suddenly hopped onto his lap.

Clark didn't mind Dick's weight, he actually wouldn't even mind if Dick suddenly weighed a thousand pounds, but he _was _alarmed at the ease Dick trusted strangers. It was… odd, especially if Clark correctly recounted their first meeting on the interview. Dick had not exactly been _timid_, but there was a… restraint that-

But of course! It must've been the shock of everything that had happened; during the interview, Bruce Wayne had _just _taken Dick in. How could Clark have forgotten? And yet… the smile plastered on Dick's face now was almost _bleak _compared to how Clark remembered it…

"I- I suppose the Fortress is very impressive," Clark repositioned his glasses that had fallen out of place, although it was pointless since Dick knew who he was, "but I just never quite gotten used to how… _alien _it is."

"But _you're _basically an alien."

Clark winced a little. That was also one of the things he'd never quite gotten used to. Dick apparently saw Clark's unease because he piped in:

"Don't worry, Clark," And Dick smiled at him as if he hadn't just said it himself that he was sitting on a true-born alien's lap, "I think it's _really _cool."

"T- thank you."

"And your father? Do you really see him in the Fortress?"

"Uh- Not exactly. I see a… _recording _of my father he'd made for me."

"Oh... That makes a lot of sense now. And what about your moth-" Dick was cut off by ringing from his pocket.

"Oh-uh." Dick muttered and pried his phone from the gummy worms that stuck to it, "Yes, Alfred?"

So _this_ was the Alfred Dick had been talking about. An Englishman? He seemed much less ominous than Clark had originally thought.

Clark found himself eavesdropping once more. In his defense, Dick was no more than five inches from his face and it was difficult even for a regular person not to hear what was being said. So Clark wasn't exactly _abusing _his powers.

"Master Dick, I wish to inform you that Master Bruce will be returning home early this evening."

Dick's entire being seemed to brighten at just the mention of Bruce's name. And this time, Clark was sure there was nothing bleak about the smile on Dick's face.

"Really? Will Bruce have dinner at home too, Alfred?"

"I cannot speak for him, Young Master. But as always, I will do my utmost to encourage Master Bruce to have his meals at regular times, or at all."

"That's a no, isn't it?"

"I wish I could contradict you, Young Master, but I'm afraid I share your fears."

There was a brief moment of such _hurt _in Dick's eyes that Clark was hurting with him.

"In any case, I believe your plane is ready and waiting for you. I will prepare some of your favorite biscuits along with hot chocolate for when you arrive back home."

"Thanks Alfred. I'll see you soon."

"Have a pleasant trip, Young Master." Dick pushed his overpriced phone back into his gummy-filled pocket with a squishy noise.

Dick was quiet for a minute or two, and Clark just stared stupidly back.

"Clark?" Dick suddenly said.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?" There was something in the intentness of Dick's gaze that would've betrayed Dick's veneer of ignorant cheerfulness if Clark had been anything else but a simple farm boy at heart.

"Of course."

"Can you promise to forget I asked afterward?"

"Uhm. I- I'll _try. _But I promise not to mention it."

"Okay," Dick nodded, and if Clark had been at all more observant, he would've noticed that Dick was fidgeting his fingers, "Are you on a mission, Clark?"

"A _mission_? Do you mean a _League _mission?"

"Yeah."

"I am, but- but what-?"

"Can you tell me about it?"

"I'm afraid it's highly classified, I'm sorry." Clark felt bad for denying Dick such a simple request, but League business was serious, "But I can tell you about other missions I had before, some of them are very excit-"

Dick ignored him, "Can you at least tell me who's on the mission?"

Clark hesitated, but Dick's piercing blue eyes threw him off balance.

"Uh- yes. I suppose that's alright," He gave in, "Wonder Woman is commander, and Black Canary, The Flash, Hawkman, and myself make up the rest of the team."

"What about Batman?"

"Batman? Uh. He's not part of this mission."

"Is he on any other mission with you?"

"No. No he's not."

"Is he on _any _mission?"

"Not that I know of, I don't have full access to all ongoing missions. Beside Batman, only the Martian Manhunter has that kind of authority in the Justice League."

"Oh." Dick was quiet again, then he hopped off of Clark's lap, "I've got to get going, if Alfred says he's going to make cookies, that means he wants me to hurry before they get cold. It's already been 2 minutes and 47 seconds." Dick was grinning again, and _something_ about it made Clark uneasy.

"Uhm- Okay. Do you want me to take you? It might be safer-"

Dick laughed, "What do you mean? Nothing will happen to me in Bruce's plane."

"Bruce's plane-? _Oh. _I see." And of course Bruce Wayne had to have his own private jet. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about Bruce Wayne's ward getting kidnapped for a billion dollar ransom.

"Thanks!" Dick mumbled and startled Clark by squeezing him in a hug.

"You're… welcome?"

"Thanks for taking me around today." Dick released him, "I had a great time."

"I actually only took you to my apartment."

"It was still really exciting,"

Clark suppressed his habit to say something utterly stupid when he was embarrassed. He knew his apartment was hardly any form of entertainment compared to what Bruce Wayne could afford.

"Uh- Glad you liked it."

"Bye Clark."

And Dick was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Finally! Another chapter! :)

To all those of you who have been loyally following this fic despite my slow updates (sorry), thank you very much! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it. As always, any kind of feedback is very welcome!


	7. Clark and the Wayne Articles

**Clark and the Wayne Articles**

"Hey Lois," Clark was on the phone from his apartment, "Are you still at the Planet?"

Lois hummed, "Mr. White just put me on another assignment. After I manage to find what I'm looking for, I think I'll call it a day." Clark heard Lois sigh from the other end, "_If_ I find it. By the by, is Johnny still with you?"

"Johnny? Uh… No he- his father came to pick him up a couple of minutes ago." He lied.

"He's _such_ a sweetheart. Clark, you have to tell me _all_ about it. Are you on your way back to the Planet?"

"Yes! Yes, I actually called to let you know I'll be there soon."

"Okay. See ya', Smallville."

"See you too, Lois." Clark hurried out of his apartment, but as he stepped out of the door, he thought he might have heard something _click_ from inside his living room.

Clark had finally finished the heaps of paperwork Mr. White assigned to him that morning, when he heard Lois' heels rapidly tapping against the polished floor as she bustled around the office.

"Smallville," Lois called out as she rummaged through archives, "Would you mind lending me a hand? This is driving me _insane_."

"Of course. What are you looking for?"

"Remember Wayne and the kid?"

"Bruce Wayne?" Clark was internally screaming _no not Wayne again, _but said, "What about him? Is he part of the assignment Mr. White put you on?"

"You guessed it. The boss asked me to do a follow up on the whole adoption thing since it's been 6 months since it happened. But-"

"But?"

"Ah! Here it is!" Lois beamed to herself, but it quickly turned into a frown, "Nope. God, why is it always so _difficult _to find anything around here."

"What are you looking for?" Clark asked again.

"All the articles about Wayne! The last thing I want to do is piss Mr. White off by writing something _another_ paper has already done."

"Don't you think it might be easier to look them up on our online archives? You could try the keywords 'Wayne' and 'adoption'. "

"Yes," Lois sighed and shook her head, "I know. It'll take _forever _to read through all the articles manually. But apparently there's some _bug _in the archive servers, or something, I don't know. I can't find a _single _one of those articles. Not _one_."

"Huh?"

"Believe me when I say I looked. I spent twenty minutes just typing in all the keywords I could think of. But still, _nothing_." Lois made a gesture with her hands, "Oh, except yours."

Clark blinked a couple of times, "Mine?"

"Your article. There isn't a single article on it except the one you wrote."

"Oh. Well yes, that is… strange."

"It _is. _There should be tons of them, it was _hot news_. I've already filed a report to the server admins, or whatever you call them."

"I… could call the papers and request them to send the articles over. Or maybe ask for verification that what you're doing will not be considered a form of plagiarism."

"That would be _great._ Thanks Smallville, I owe you one."

Clark slowly put the phone down, his mind racing. He had called every other newspaper available in Smallville, and coincidentally _all_ of their archives were having problems at just _one _particular area: the Wayne articles. There was something going on here that was decidedly strange_ and_ thorough.

It took Clark longer than he would've been proud of to come to the notion that this might actually have been Wayne's own doing.

"Clark? Did you find those articles yet?"

"Uhm, you see, Lois. They seem to be having server breakdowns too." Clark tried his best to act as if it was all just a funny coincidence and _nothing_ more. Lois had always been much too sharp for her own good, the last thing Clark wanted was to become even more involved with Wayne. "But they did verify that you'd be the first to do a follow up, and that they would have nothing to claim plagiarism for."

"First to do a follow up, huh?" Lois cocked her hip to one side, "That's unlikely. I'm sure _someone _must've thought of doing it before, it's been six months _and_ we're talking about _Bruce Wayne_!"

"Uhm- It's a little bit strange, but maybe there were more… _interesting _things to cover these last few months."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Well, like- like the Joker! The Joker had broken out of Arkham didn't he?"

"Hmph. _My _guess is Wayne is hiding something and _paid_ all of these papers to shut up. Well, I'd like to see him try to shut _me_ up."

And Lois stormed away.

Bruce Wayne could easily have paid all the papers out. It would've been a small effort on his part, but still… Wayne had never, ever tried to avoid publicity. Not even when he was caught in that international scandal with the Russian Minister's _married_ daughter. The publicity then had caused Wayne Enterprises a major setback, but Bruce Wayne never even _tried_ to hide anything. (Not even the nude photographs that inevitably leaked out)

Clark blushed, and tried to hide it behind the thick rim of his glasses.

Somewhere within the depths of his gut instinct Clark knew that there was probably something more to this, but for the moment Clark decided Lois was right, as she almost always was.

Well, at least he didn't have to worry about young Dick Grayson accidentally coming across any more highly inappropriate material. Clark supposed that was good enough.


	8. Clark Back in His Apartment

**Author's Note: **To avoid any kind of confusion, this happens the next day after Dick came to visit Clark. :) Enjoy

* * *

**Clark Back in His Apartment**

Clark's communicator buzzed in his ear, "Superman, come in."

"Superman here. Is there a problem Wonder Woman?"

"Have you stabilized the bridge?"

"Yes. I think it'll hold," Clark had tons worth of concrete and metal supported on his shoulders, it creaked slightly as he shifted to get more comfortable. "I've managed to get everybody away before the earthquake became anything serious."

"Well done. When you are done, report to me immediately, we need to discuss the mission. Something's come up."

"Understood. I'll finish up as fast as I can."

"I'll be waiting. Wonder Woman out."

* * *

Clark checked around him once more before he entered his apartment, it was best to be absolutely certain that nobody was watching. Clark was determined to make sure there would be no repeats of that one time somebody actually did see Superman go into Clark Kent's apartment. He had had to stage an impromptu (and honestly ridiculous) scenario where Superman was saving Clark Kent from drowning in his bathtub _without _them noticing Superman and Clark Kent were never visible at the same time.

Lois had endlessly made fun of him about it after she found out. Well, Clark supposed, at least that meant his farce _was_ convincing.

After swiftly changing back into his civilian clothing, he collapsed into his couch. It had been a long, long day. He had just finished discussing the mission with Wonder Woman, and despite his super endurance and super stamina, Clark felt _exhausted _(which did not really make sense, if Clark thought about it).

Oh well, some TV would go a long way.

"And for tomorrow's weather, we seem to have pleasantly a lot of sun for a November. So grab your kids, folks, because tomorrow is the perfect day for-"

_Click._

Huh?

_Click. _

What was that?

Clark straightened up and scanned his apartment. It was very soft, so soft Clark wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for his superhearing.

_Tick._

And did it just come from a _different _direction this time? Clark muted the television and listened again.

_Tick._

It came from somewhere inside his bedroom, which was odd because there was nothing else there beside his bed, a nightstand, a tiny closet he kept his clothes in and, of course, the hidden compartment where he stored his Superman-related things. But it could _not_ have come from the Superman-compartment, it was hidden and sealed and it was _impossible _for anything foreign to get inside. It was infused with technology from the _Fortress_, so only Clark could have access to-

_Tick._

And that definitely came from _inside _the hidden compartment that Clark, and _only Clark _could ever open. This was bad. This was very bad.

Clark hurriedly opened it.

His suit was displayed as he'd left it, while scattered at the bottom were the various items the League had given him, and behind the mess, was the small metal container that housed a sample of green kryptonite.

The first thing he checked was the kryptonite. It wouldn't surprise him to find a time-bomb there that would explode and scatter kryptonite _everywhere. _Lex Luthor's name ominously crept into his mind as he placed his ear over the container. It was silent-

_Tick._

No, it came from somewhere else. It came from the pile of Justice League issued badges and gizmos. He rummaged through it until-

_Tick._

_ Communicator. _It was his communicator. His _communicator_ was ticking. Clark wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't a kryptonite time-bomb, but the ticking _was _worrying.

He scanned the little device, and found that there was something inside of it that wasn't there before. It was _tiny_.

_Click._

What? It now came from another direction, the place he'd first heard the noises coming from. After more searching, Clark found that the clicking came from his couch.

This was just getting stranger and stranger.

With his supervision Clark found another miniscule metallic object. It was embedded at the head of his couch, an inch or so inside the surface so as not to be seen immediately, but not deep enough to…

The realization came to Clark slowly, along with a cold feeling of dread. It was not deep enough to obstruct any _sounds. _And the one in his communicator was obviously-

Oh darn, Clark had been _bugged. _Someone had wanted to listen into Clark's League conversations. Wonder Woman had just told him some highly confidential details about their mission and they surely must've heard _every_ word of it.

Clark scrutinized the two small objects, but quite pathetically failed to discover anything due to the simple fact that he couldn't _comprehend_ the sophistication of the things.

Should he alert the League? Clark had seen bugs before, but never like _these. _The ones he was holding in his hands were of a wholly different caliber than what day-to-day criminals used, this was _government secret service_ technology.

If Clark alerted the League, they could analyze the bugs at the Watchtower's lab. But it may already be too late, what if-

He needed to _calm down_ and think about this.

How did the bug even come to be in his couch? Somebody must've broken into his apartment to plant it there, and if he could just find a trail…

But even the combined powers of his supervision and heightened sense of smell could not detect anything out of the ordinary. Even the best spies would leave _some _kind of trace behind.

He sniffed again. The only foreign smells he could find were that of the scents that clung to his clothes, the mailman's and… well, Dick's.

_Wait. _Clark froze. _Dick Grayson_.

Dick _had _been to his apartment just the day before. And he _had _been poking around at his couch. And more importantly, Batman was the only person Clark knew who had access to technology with _that _level of sophistication.

So _Dick_-!

That explained all too perfectly why Dick came all the way to Metropolis just to see Clark Kent's apartment. But for what? Did _Batman_ bug Clark to-

Clark froze as the question answered itself.

-To make sure he kept his mouth shut about_ Bruce Wayne._

* * *

**Authors's Note:** Thank you to all the wonderful people who favorited, followed and reviews this story! Your love is what really keeps me motivated to give my best to this story!

If you have any suggestions, questions, comments or even critique feel ABSOLUTELY free to tell me. (I won't bit, I promise)


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